Hey guys, I'm new to this forum and new to owning a car. My dad retired his old civic (91 DX Hatchback with 500000km on it) three years ago and has been driving his jetta. I decided I want a vehicle now and I'm going to take the civic.

It has always started before but he has not run it ever since he had his new vehicle. I want to know what I need to do before I start the engine and what I need to do to get it into tip top running shape.

My dad said clearing the fuel line, adding fuel additives to clean the lines, putting in a new battery, driving down to mr lube and getting them to change all fluids in the vehicle.

We live in Vancouver BC, so it is somewhat humid here no snow in the winters (rarely) and the coldest it'll get in the winter is about -3 to 5 for daily lows.

I appreciate the time for every answer and hope that you will take time in explaining what I need to do as I hope to get this car working right away and make it my project car.

 

Change your fluids yourself, I can't think of a single fluid in the vehicle that isn't easy to change.

 

You'll want to drain the old gas out, change the transmission fluid and oil (there are drain bolts), empty the coolant and swap it out, make sure all of the hoses are intact and not dry rotted, swap in a new battery.

Be sure to kick the tires, make sure they're not dry rotted.

That's pretty high mileage for any engine (over 310K miles for the Americans among us). It's a nice little project but the engine might not be as healthy as you hope. You'll want to check compression and do a leakdown test to be sure it's healthy enough to run reliably.

 

Change the oil and check the coolant level before attempting to start the engine. Expect to replace a lot of brake parts (rotors, pads, calipers, and maybe some stuff in the back); they rust up.

 

one trick I've heard of (if the motor has sat without running for quite a while) is to remove the spark plugs (might as well have new ones on hand) and spray some WD40 or other penetrating fluid into the cylinders. Let that sit and work for a bit while you change the fluids (oil and coolant, drain old gas, etc as others have mentioned)

Spray some more penetrating fluid into the cylinders and crank the engine over (without the plugs) for 30 seconds or so.

This, apparently, will loosen up your piston rings which may or may not be stuck after sitting so long. I've never tried it myself, but I've heard a few mechanics talk about doing it.